Category: Practical tips

It is always a good idea to treat people with kindness.  Why is that you ask?  Well, for starters – you never know who you may be talking to.  Hebrews 13:2 gives us the following instructions.  “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

Note 2 self: This scripture became real to me in 1986.  I was in the Air Force at the time and was home on military leave.  On this particular day, I had been approached by three panhandlers at separate times.  I gave them all money.  At this point, I was not interested in giving away any more money.  So when the 4th panhandler approached me outside a restaurant that I was getting ready to enter, I thought to myself – “This bank is closed.” The man who approached was an old man who was clearly destitute. He said, ” Young man can you spare a $1.00?”  I lied and told the man that I didn’t have any money. He looked at me and turned his head slightly to the right and asked again with a sincere voice, “Young man – are you sure don’t have any money that you can spare?”  I looked at him and turned my head slightly to the right and said,  “No, I don’t.”  At that moment, I turned away from him and was about to go into the restaurant. As I turned the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “You know you have money, give that man $2.00.” So I turned back around, and the man was gone.  The restaurant was on a broad commercial street.  I had only turned away from the man for 2 seconds.  There is absolutely no way that he could have ran, walked or drove away in that short a period of time. There was no one in the immediate area. The man simply vanished. 

I was overwhelmed with guilt because I knew I was wrong. I thought, someday I would have to explain to God why I lied to one of His angels not once but twice.  So, to the question – Do you know who you are talking to? I did not. Be careful my friends; you too may be in the company of angels.

Blessings to you all, my friends.

Daniel

The Note 2 Self Guy

 

As I watch the news, I am reminded that our world has gone absolutely nuts.  It’s a dog-eat-dog world; often devoid of love. This is not God’s design for mankind. He tells us in Matthew 22:39, “… Love your neighbor as yourself.” God gave us this command for a reason.  If the world followed his directive, it would change life as we know it.

It has been established that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves but is there any special treatment required for fellow Christians? Galatians 6:10 answers this question.  “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Note 2 self: In other words, we are to roll out the red carpet for our Christian brothers and sisters.  We should go the extra mile for those who share our faith.  To the question, do we treat other Christians as VIPs?  The answer is a resounding YES!

Blessings to you all, my friends.

Daniel

The Note 2 Self Guy

Often the mind is a negotiating chamber. What do you mean? It is a breeding ground for justifying sin. It gives life to the following thoughts:

Look what she did to me. It is only right that I do it to her.

You hurt me; I’m going to hurt you more.

I’ll show you; you will never hurt me again.

Two can play that game.

Tick for tack – watch your back!

I can’t believe they did this to me; I want revenge!

Payback is a _____!

Note 2 self: It is in the nature of man to want to get even. We tell ourselves that getting revenge is the right thing to do.   However, Proverbs 2:12 warns us of the following, “A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart.” In other words, just because we think something is right – doesn’t make it right. God will judge our hearts and examine what is in them. Deuteronomy 32:35 gives us a directive.  “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near, and their doom rushes upon them.” God is pretty clear here; it is His job to pay back those who have wronged us. Do we really think we can do a better job than God? Just take a moment and reflect upon how God has repaid us for our wrongdoings – exactly! God does not need our help.  When we seek revenge, we often hurt ourselves in the process.  The bottom line is this – stay in our lane and let God do His job.

Blessings to you all, my friends.

Daniel

The Note 2 Self Guy

 

Many people really believe that they will never be called out on sin that no one or few people know about.  They are convinced that sin done in secret has no consequences.  Such a sin has a Teflon like quality – nothing sticks to it.

The Bible warns us in 1 Corinthians 4:5 that what is done in darkness will be brought to light. But what it doesn’t say is that the light will be a SPOTLIGHT! We are not getting away with ANYTHING. Jesus will expose all secrets. I believe our actions are being recorded and the tape will be shown to us; how embarrassing will that be?

 

Note 2 self: Watching ourselves taking a cookie from the cookie jar when we thought no one was watching in the presence of the Creator will not be one of our fondest moments. Avoid the SPOTLIGHT and do the right thing!

Blessings to you all, my friends.

Daniel

The Note 2 Self Guy